CN1757002A - Delivery of process plant notifications - Google Patents

Abstract

In a method for configuring delivery of notifications related to process plants, at least one person is selected to receive a notification from a process entity in a process plant. Additionally, a delivery method for delivering the notification to the at least one person is selected. The selected person and the selected delivery method may be stored in a memory.

Description

Transmission of notifications in processing plants

technical field

The present disclosure relates generally to the control and maintenance of a processing plant and, more particularly, to the transfer of information related to processing entities within a processing plant.

Background technique

Process control systems such as those used in chemical, petroleum, or other industries typically include one or more centralized process controllers that communicate via an analog, digital, or hybrid analog/digital bus with at least one host or operator workstation and a Or multiple field devices are connected in a communicative manner. Field devices can be, for example, valves, valve positioners, switches, and transmitters (eg, temperature, pressure, and flow rate sensors) that perform functions in a process such as opening valves, closing valves, and measuring process parameters. Process controllers receive signals representing process measurements produced by field devices, and/or other information about field devices, use this information to execute control routines, and subsequently generate Operational control signal. Information from field devices and controllers is sometimes used in one or more applications executed by operator workstations to allow operators to perform desired functions related to the process, such as observing the current status of the process, correcting process operation, etc. Some known controller/operator interface software is designed to generate and display process alarms originating from process control operations performed by software in the controller or other device.

The DeltaV ^™ process control system sold by Fisher-Rowsmount Systems Incorporated uses function blocks that reside or are installed in controllers or various field devices to perform control operations. In some cases, controllers and field devices can store and execute one or more function blocks, each function block receiving input from other function blocks (within the same device or in a different device) and/or providing input to other function blocks. Blocks provide outputs and perform certain process control operations, such as measuring or sensing process parameters, controlling equipment, or performing control operations such as proportional-derivative-integral (PID) control routines. Different functional blocks in a process control system are configured to communicate with each other (eg, within a single device or via a bus) to form one or more process control loops, the individual operations of which can thus be extended to the entire process.

Typically, the function blocks, or the devices in which they are executed, are configured to detect errors, errors, or problems occurring in the process control loop or the functions executed therein, and to send notifications, such as alarm messages, to notify the operator workstation or other user interface where an operator at the process control system or a control loop of the process control system has an undesired condition. For example, such an alert may indicate that a functional block is not communicating, has received or generated an out-of-range input or output, is suffering from an error or other unexpected condition, and the like. In the alarm display system described in U.S. Patent 5,768,119, entitled "Process Control System Including Alarm Priority Adjustment", an application executing at, for example, an operator interface/workstation is configured to Receives messages containing process alarms related to process operations and displays these process alarms in a coherent and manageable manner to allow operators to manage alarms in some organized or logical manner. US Patent 5,768,119 is hereby expressly incorporated by reference.

Known operator interface applications such as those described in US Pat. No. 5,768,119 are typically configured so that the operator, that is, the individual who monitors the actual operation of the process control system day in and day out, is the first to observe the most critical process alarms, such as The alert with the highest priority. Because these applications are designed to provide information to process control operators, they only display alerts that are relevant to the working of the process itself. These applications are not configured to display other types of errors or alarms, such as alarms related to mishandling of field devices or mishandling of other hardware like controllers or input/output (I/O) devices. Thus, for example, in the system described in US Pat. No. 5,768,119, the operator display application displays a portion of the process control system and provides an alarm icon at the bottom of the display indicating the highest priority process alarm. The displayed alarms are process alarms in that they are generated by function blocks or other software used to execute the process control plan or process control loop and indicate errors in the operation of the process control loop. When the operator selects one of the process alarms at the operator workstation, the application provides the operator with more information related to the selected alarm, such as the function block or module that generated the alarm, the priority of the alarm, whether the alarm is is acknowledged, etc.; and the application can display process information related to the alarm, such as a panel for the loop where the alarm occurred, a primary control display related to the part of the plant where the alarm occurred, etc.

In the past, conventional field devices have been used in process control systems to transmit and receive analog signals (eg, 4 to 20 mA) to and from the process controller over an analog bus or analog line. However, these 4 to 20 mA signals are limited to indicating process measurements made by the device during operation, or indicating process control signals generated by a controller required to control the operation of the device during operation. Therefore, a conventional 4-20 mA device cannot generate an alarm about the operating capability of the device itself. As a result, alarms associated with these devices are generally not available in process control systems. However, over the past decade or so, intelligent field devices including microprocessors and memory have prevailed in the process control industry. A variety of standard and open intelligent device communication protocols, such as ^FOUDATIONTM Fieldbus (hereinafter referred to as "Fieldbus"), HART® ^{, PROFIBUS®} , ^WORLDFIP® , Device- ^Net® and CAN protocols, have been developed to enable different manufacturers to manufacture Intelligent field devices are used together in the same process control network. In addition to performing basic functions in the process, intelligent field devices can store device-related data, communicate with controllers and/or other devices in digital or mixed digital and analog form, and perform tasks such as self-calibration, qualification, diagnostics, etc. secondary task. Importantly, devices conforming to at least some of these protocols are capable of detecting problems within the device itself, and are able to generate and transmit notifications (alerts or alarms) to direct the detected problems to the appropriate actions associated with the process control system personnel, maintenance or engineering personnel.

U.S. Patent Application 10/104,586, entitled "Integrate Device Alert in a Process Control System," filed March 22, 2002, describes a method for displaying alerts generated by field devices. and alarm display system. The user interface application displays a portion of the process control system and provides alarm identification at the bottom of the display. In general, the alarm identification indicates the highest priority equipment alarm that has not been acknowledged by the operator. When the operator selects one of the equipment alarms at the operator workstation, the application provides the operator with more information related to the selected alarm, such as possible conditions associated with the alarm, recommended actions, etc.

Using the above display system, the operator can recognize that there is an alarm or an alarm, and can try to solve a problem related to the alarm or alarm. For example, with a process alarm, an operator may attempt to resolve the problem with a software application available to the operator. As another example, for equipment alarms, maintenance personnel may attempt to repair or replace the equipment that caused the alarm.

In some cases, an operator may receive multiple notifications (eg, alarms or alerts) at his or her workstation. If a large number of alarms or alarms are received in a short period of time (eg, a day), the operator may be overwhelmed and may not access the alarms or alarms in an optimal manner.

Contents of the invention

A notification distribution system enables the delivery of processing plant related notifications to be configurable. For example, the notification distribution system can be configured to deliver certain notifications to assignable individuals. Additionally, the mode in which notifications are delivered to individuals may also be specifiable.

In one aspect, a method for configuring delivery of notifications related to a processing plant is provided. Select at least one individual to receive notifications from the processing entity of the processing plant. Additionally, a delivery method for delivering the notification to the at least one individual is selected. The selected individuals and selected methods may be stored in memory.

In another aspect, a method for communicating notifications related to a processing plant is provided. Receive notifications related to the processing entities of the processing plant. At least one destination is determined to send the notification to the destination based on configuration information associated with the notification. A delivery method is determined for sending the notification to a destination based on the configuration information. Then, the notification is sent to the destination according to the delivery method.

Description of drawings

The features and advantages of the systems described herein will become more apparent with reference to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary processing plant;

Figure 2 is a block diagram of a data network associated with the processing plant of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary notification distribution server;

4 is a flowchart of an exemplary method for configuring delivery modes available to individuals associated with a processing plant;

5 is a flowchart of an exemplary method for specifying how notifications are delivered; and

6 is a flowchart of an example method for delivering notifications.

Detailed ways

processing plant

Referring now to FIG. 1, process plant 10 includes a plurality of business and other computer systems interconnected by one or more communication networks with a plurality of control and maintenance systems. Process plant 10 includes one or more process control systems 12 and 14 . Process control system 12 may be a conventional process control system such as a PROVOX or RS3 system, or may be a DCS including an operator interface 12A connected to a controller 12B and input/output (I/O) cards 12C, I The /O card 12C is in turn connected to various field devices such as analog and Highway Addressable Remote Transmitter (HART) field devices 15 .

Process control system 14 may be a distributed process control system including one or more operator interfaces 14A connected to one or more distributed controllers 14B via a bus, such as an Ethernet bus. Controller 14B may be a controller such as the DeltaV ^™ controller sold by Fisher-Rowsmount Systems, Inc. of Austin, Texas, or any other desired type of controller. The controller 14B is connected to one or more field devices 16 via I/O devices, such as HART or Fieldbus field devices or any other intelligent or non-intelligent field devices, including using, for example, ^PROFIBUS® , ^WORLDFIP® , Device- ^Net® , AS- Field devices of any protocol in the interface and CAN protocol. Field devices 16 may provide analog or digital information to controller 14B related to process variables and other device information, as is known. Operator interface 14A may store and execute applications 17 that process control operators may use to control process operations including, for example, control optimization, expert diagnostics, neural networks, tuners, and the like. If desired, additional control applications 17 may be stored in and executed by controllers 12B and 14B, which in some cases reside in field device 16 .

Process plant 10 may include one or more computer systems 18 that execute applications that assist in monitoring and maintaining equipment (eg, process control equipment, instrumentation equipment, or other types of equipment) within process plant 10 . For example, the Asset Management Solutions (AMS) application, available from Fisher-Rowsmount Inc., is capable of communicating and storing data related to various equipment within a process plant. Computer system 18 may execute the AMS application or any other equipment monitoring and communication application 19 and may interface with process control systems 12 and 14 or individual equipment therein to perform maintenance and monitoring activities. For example, computer system 18 may be connected to controller 12B and/or device 15 via any desired communication line or network (including wireless or handheld device networks) in order to communicate therewith, and in some cases reconfigure or execute device 15 other maintenance activities. Likewise, a maintenance application 19 such as an AMS application may be installed in and executed by the user interface 14A associated with the distributed process control system 14 to perform maintenance and monitoring including data collection related to the operational status of the equipment 16 Function.

The processing plant 10 also includes various rotating equipment 20, such as turbines, motors, etc., which are connected via some permanent or temporary communication link, such as a bus, wireless communication system, or a handheld device connected to the equipment 20 to take readings and then removed. ) is connected to the maintenance computer 22. Maintenance computer 22 may store and execute known monitoring and diagnostic applications 23 provided by, for example, CSI systems, or any other known application for diagnosing, monitoring and optimizing the operating condition of rotating equipment 20 . Maintenance personnel typically use the application 23 to service and observe the performance of the rotating equipment 20 within the plant 10, determine problems with the rotating equipment 20, and decide when and whether the rotating equipment 20 must be repaired or replaced. In some cases, outside consultants or service agencies may temporarily require or measure data about device 20 and use the data to perform analysis on device 20 to detect problems, poor performance, or other matters affecting device 20 . In these cases, the analyzing computer may not be connected to the rest of the system 10 via any communication lines, or may be connected only temporarily.

Likewise, a power generation and distribution system 24 with power generation and distribution equipment 25 associated with the plant 10 is connected via, for example, a bus, to another computer 26 that runs and observes the operation of the power generation and distribution equipment 25 within the plant 10 . Computer 26 may execute known power control and diagnostic applications 27 , such as those offered by Liebert and ASCO or others, to control and maintain power generation and distribution equipment 25 . In many cases, an outside consultant or service organization can use a service application that temporarily acquires or measures data about device 20 and uses this data to perform analysis on device 25 to detect problems affecting device 25, poor performance, or Other Matters. In these cases, the analyzing computer (eg, computer 26) may not be connected to the rest of the system 10 via any communication lines, or may be connected only temporarily.

Computer system 30 is communicatively connected to computers or interfaces associated with various functional systems within plant 10, including process control functions 12 and 14, such as maintenance performed in computers 18, 14A, 22 and 26. functions and business functions. Such communication links may be implemented using any type of network interface or communication structure, including any local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), the Internet, etc., if desired. In any event, computer system 30 is communicatively coupled to conventional process control system 12 and maintenance interface 18 associated with the control system, to process control and/or maintenance interface 14A of distributed process control system 14 , to the rotating equipment maintenance computer 22 and the power generation and distribution computer 26, all of which are connected via a communications network 32 which may use any desired or appropriate LAN or WAN protocol to provide communications. Such communication networks or connections may be permanent or temporary (intermittent) as required.

As shown in Figure 1, the computer 30 can also be connected to the business system computer and the maintenance plan computer 35 and 36 via the same or different communication network 32, and they can execute such as enterprise resource planning (ERP), material resource planning (MRP), Financial processing, production and customer ordering systems, maintenance planning systems or any other required business applications such as parts, supplies and raw material ordering applications, production scheduling applications, etc. The computer 30 may also be connected via, for example, a communication network 32 to a plant-wide LAN 37, an enterprise WAN 38, and a computer system 40 capable of remotely monitoring or communicating with the plant 10 from a remote location. Computer system 30 or any other computer connected to communication network 32 may include a configuration application and a configuration database that generates and stores configuration data regarding the configuration of process plant 10 and the equipment and components within process plant 10 .

In one embodiment, the XML protocol is used to communicate over the communication network 32 . Here, data from each of computers 12A, 18, 14A, 22, 26, 35, 36, etc. is wrapped within an XML wrapper and sent to an XML data server, possibly located in computer 30, for example. Since XML is a descriptive language, the server can handle any type of data. At the server, if necessary, the data is encapsulated into new XML wrappers, that is, this data is mapped from one XML schema to one or more other XML schemas created for each receiving application. In this way, each data originator can package its data using a schema that is understood or convenient for that device or application, and each receiving application can package its data in a schema that the receiving application uses or understands. Different modes to receive data. Depending on the source and destination of the data, the server is configured to map one schema to another. The server may also perform certain data processing functions or other functions upon receipt of the data, if desired. Prior to operation of the system described herein, mapping and processing function rules are created and stored in the server. In this way, data can be sent from any one application to one or more other applications.

In general, computer 30 (which may be a server) stores and executes a notification distribution application 50 that collects data and other information generated by, for example, process control systems 12 and 14, maintenance systems 18, 22, and 26, and business systems 35 and 36 , and information generated by the data analysis tools executing in each of these systems and distributed to operators, organizations, application computers, etc. The notification distribution application 50 may include an expert engine 51 which may be based eg on the OZ expert system currently offered by NEXUS, or on any other type of expert system including eg any type of data mining system.

The notification distribution application 50 may distribute notifications generated by or related to processing entities of the processing plant 10 such as processes, field devices, rotating equipment, and the like. For example, process control system 12 or 14 may generate process alarms. Field devices 15 and 16 may also generate alarms or alarms. The notification distribution application 50 receives such notifications and sends them to the appropriate person, institution, computer, application, user interface, or the like. Although notification distribution application 50 is depicted in FIG. 1 as being executed by computer 30, it may be executed by other computer systems, such as computers 12A, 14A, 18, 22, 26, 35, 36, and the like. Furthermore, the notification distribution application 50 may be a distribution application executed by a plurality of computers.

The processing plant 10 may also include one or more wireless access points 72 . The wireless access point may provide the mobile device 75 with a communication link to the LAN 37, the network 32, or the like. Mobile device 75 may include a portable computer, tablet personal computer (PC), personal digital assistant (PDA), cellular telephone, pager, and the like. Operators may receive information about processing plant 10 via mobile device 75 . For example, an operator may receive process alarms via a PDA.

The processing plant 10 may further include a gateway 82 connecting the processing plant 10 with the Internet in a communication manner. In particular, gateway 82 may be connected to network 32, LAN 37, WAN 38, or the like. In one embodiment, information related to the processing plant 10 may be sent to individuals, institutions, computers, etc. via the gateway 82 and the Internet.

Figure 2 is a block diagram of the data system in the processing plant. Notification distribution server 104 is communicatively coupled via network 108 to one or more information servers. For example, notification distribution server 104 may be communicatively coupled to control system information server 112 , maintenance information server 116 , and rotating equipment information server 120 . Network 108 may be any desired communication network, such as a web network.

The notification distribution server 104 may also be connected to the configuration database 124 . Additionally, one or more wireless access points 128 may also be communicatively connected to notification distribution server 104 via network 108 . Further, gateway 132 may be communicatively connected to notification distribution server 104 via network 108 . One or more operator workstations 136 may also be communicatively connected to notification distribution server 104 via network 108 .

In operation, notification distribution server 104 may receive notifications from one or more data servers related to processing entities of a processing plant. For example, notification distribution server 104 may receive device alerts related to field devices from maintenance application server 116 . As another example, notification distribution server 104 may receive process alerts from control system information server 112 related to the process.

In operation, each data server (eg, control system information server 112, maintenance information server 116, rotating equipment information server 120, etc.) may receive notifications from a corresponding group of processing entities. For example, the control system information server 112 may receive notifications such as process alarms and alarms from process control software modules, controllers, and the like. The maintenance information server 116 may also receive notifications such as device alarms and alarms from field devices, hardware devices, and the like. Further, the rotating equipment information server 120 may receive notifications such as alarms, alarms, dangerous values, etc. from devices monitoring the rotating equipment.

The data server may receive notifications generated by the processing entity, directly or indirectly, from devices monitoring the processing entity or the like. For example, notifications may be received via a network, a bus, one or more intermediary computers, or the like. Further, notifications may be received from a storage device (such as a floppy disk, compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital video disk (DVD), PC card, smart card, etc.), or from a portable device (such as a laptop computer) via a wired or wireless link. , tablet PC, PDA, cell phone, etc.) download notification.

The data server may then provide the notification to notification distribution server 104 . For example, notifications may be provided to notification distribution server 104 when notifications are received by the data server on a regular basis or in response to a request from notification distribution server 104 or the like. In addition, the data server may be connected to a corresponding notification database (not shown in FIG. 2 ), which stores notifications from its corresponding group of processing entities. The data server may search, query the notification database for notifications in response to requests from the notification distribution server 104 and then send such notifications to the notification distribution server 104 . For another example, the data server may periodically search and query the notification database for notifications, and then send such notifications to the notification distribution server 104 . In embodiments that do not include a notification database, notifications may be sent to notification distribution server 104 when the data server receives a notification.

Once a notification is received, the notification distribution server 104 can determine from information stored in the configuration database 124 where the notification should be sent. The notification distribution server 104 may then send the notification to, for example, the operator workstation 136, the operator's email account, via the wireless access point (WAP) 128 to the mobile device, via the gateway 132 and the Internet, etc. account etc.

Each of servers 104, 112, 116, and 120, as well as wireless access point 128 and gateway 132, may be implemented by one or more computers. Additionally, a single computer may execute two or more of servers 104, 112, 116, 120, wireless access point 128, and gateway 132, or portions thereof. Referring to FIG. 1, as a specific example only, the notification distribution server 104, the control system information server 112, the maintenance information server 116, the rotating equipment information server 120, the wireless access point 128 and the gateway 132 can be controlled by the computers 30, 14A, 18 respectively. , 22, the wireless access point 72 and the gateway 82 execute.

Notify distribution server

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of one example of the notification distribution server 104 . Notification distribution server 104 includes several subsystems, including configuration subsystem 170 , monitoring subsystem 174 , and delivery subsystem 178 . These subsystems may be implemented through the use of software, hardware, firmware, etc., and may be implemented by any processor associated with process control system 10 . As such, elements described herein may be implemented in a standard general purpose central processing unit (CPU) or on specially designed hardware or firmware such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or other hardware device as desired. When implemented in software, the software routines may be stored in any computer-readable memory such as a magnetic disk, laser disk (e.g. DVD) or other storage medium, either in the random access memory (RAM) of the computer or processor Or read-only memory (ROM), can be stored in any database, etc. Likewise, such software may be delivered to the user or to the processing plant via any known or desired delivery method, including, for example, via a computer-readable disk or other portable computer storage mechanism or via a communication channel such as a telephone line, the Internet, etc. (which may be viewed as are the same as or interchangeable with providing the software via portable storage media).

In general, configuration subsystem 170 allows notifications to be configured to be sent. Various aspects of delivery can be configured, such as to whom the notification should be delivered, and by what mode (eg, displayed at a workstation, sent by email, delivered as a text message via a pager or cell phone, etc.). For example, the delivery of device alarms and alarms generated by a certain subset of field devices can be configured so that a specific person receives these notifications. As a further example, these device alerts and the delivery of alerts may be configured so that a first person receives notifications received during a first time period of the day and a second person receives notifications received during a second time period of the day. Still as a further example, the delivery of these equipment alarms and alerts can be configured so that certain operators receive certain equipment alarms and/or alerts via pagers. Configuration subsystem 170 may store configuration-related information in configuration database 124 .

Because the delivery of notifications can be configured, it is possible to reduce the number of notifications that one or more people receive. Because a person may receive a lower number of notifications, the person may respond to those notifications in an optimal manner, as opposed to if they receive a large number of notifications.

In general, monitoring subsystem 174 may receive notifications from data servers, such as control system information server 112 , maintenance information server 116 , and rotating equipment information server 120 in FIG. 2 . In another embodiment, monitoring subsystem 174 may search or query one or more databases in which notifications may be stored by another system, such as a process control system, maintenance system, or the like. For example, monitoring subsystem 174 may periodically query the data server to determine whether any new notifications have been generated. If new notifications have been generated, the monitoring subsystem 174 can request that they be delivered, or the data server can automatically deliver these notifications to the notification distribution server 104 . As another example, monitoring subsystem 174 may periodically search or query one or more databases to determine whether any newly generated notifications have been stored in the databases, and if so, monitoring subsystem 174 may retrieve such notifications from the databases.

Monitoring subsystem 174 may forward received notifications to delivery subsystem 178 . In general, delivery subsystem 178 delivers notifications based on configuration information in configuration database 124 . For example, referring to FIG. 2, the delivery subsystem 178 may forward some notifications to the wireless access point 128 for wireless delivery to a particular operator's PDA. As another example, delivery subsystem 178 may deliver other notifications to gateway 132 for delivery to email accounts via the Internet.

configuration

In general, configuration subsystem 170 may allow a user to configure how a particular notification or group of notifications should be delivered. Configuration subsystem 170 may include a user interface (eg, a graphical user interface) for specifying aspects of delivery, such as to whom and in what mode notifications should be delivered.

The user interface may allow a user to select one or more specific notifications and/or one or more groups of notifications for configuring their delivery. A set of notifications may include notifications generated by a particular processing entity or a group of processing entities. A set of process entities can be defined as process entities for a particular area of a process plant, process entities manufactured by a particular manufacturer, etc. (e.g., process control software modules, field devices, rotating equipment, power generation/distribution equipment, diagnostics, software model, etc.) to characterize.

A set of notifications can also be characterized by a specific type of notification. The types of notifications may include process notifications, equipment notifications, maintenance notifications, and the like. Types of notifications can also include notifications indicating a specific level of severity, such as notifications with associated priorities falling within a specific range, notifications with associated health indicator values falling within a specific range, error alerts, maintenance alerts, advisory alerts , specific HART device status conditions, etc.

Additionally, a set of notifications may be specified by two or more of the above-described features or similar features. For example, a set of notifications may include notifications generated by field devices within a particular area of the process plant. As another example, a set of notifications may include notifications of a particular severity generated by all processing entities within a particular area of a processing plant. Those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that a set of notifications may be specified by many other combinations of the above-described features, as well as other features.

Additionally, the user interface of the configuration subsystem 170 may allow configuration of the delivery mode of one or more notifications. For example, the user interface may allow specifying to whom a notification or group of notifications should be delivered. For example, a user may specify individuals, groups of individuals, accounts (eg, registered accounts, email accounts, etc.), email addresses, and the like. Further, the user interface may allow scheduling of delivery based on time periods during which notification distribution server 104 receives notifications. For example, the user interface may allow configuration of one or more notifications to be delivered so that notifications are delivered to a first operator when received within a first time period and to a second operator when received during a second time period.

Additionally, the user interface of configuration subsystem 170 may allow for the specification of one or more delivery modes. For example, a user may specify that notifications sent to a certain operator should be sent to that operator's PDA. Specifying a delivery mode may include indicating the type of device (eg, workstation, PDA, cell phone, pager, etc.) to which notifications are to be delivered. Specifying a delivery mode may also include an identifier (eg, web address, IP address, cell phone number, pager number, etc.) indicating the device to which the notification is to be delivered. Specifying a delivery mode may also include indicating a network (eg, LAN 37 of FIG. 1 , WAN 38 of FIG. 1 , wireless LAN, the Internet, etc.) over which to deliver the notification. Specifying a delivery mode may additionally include an identifier (eg, registration identifier (ID), employee ID number, email address, organization ID, email group, distribution list ID, etc.) of the individual or group of individuals to whom notifications are to be delivered.

The user interface of the configuration subsystem 170 may be connected to receive information related to the delivery modes available to a particular individual. Such information may be stored in a database such as configuration database 124 or another database. Such information may include the various delivery modes available to a particular individual. For example, such information may include information indicating that particular individuals may receive notifications via particular workstations and PDAs. In addition, such information may further include any information necessary to deliver notifications in various modes of delivery. For example, an IP address or email account associated with a PDA can be specified. If a cellular telephone or pager is available to the user, a telephone number associated with these devices may be assigned. Likewise, specific network IDs, IP addresses of email proxy servers, email protocols, etc. may also be included. Further, such information may include information specifying when a particular delivery can or should be used to deliver notifications to a particular individual. For example, received notifications should be sent to the individual's pager, given that the individual is typically away from the plant.

The user interface of configuration subsystem 170 may allow a user to assign such information to a particular set of individuals. Alternatively or additionally, another system may be used to allow the user to specify such information.

Once delivery of one or more notifications is configured, configuration subsystem 170 may store the configuration information in configuration database 124 .

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an exemplary method 200 for configuring delivery modes available to individuals associated with a processing plant. The method 200 will be described below with reference to FIG. 3 . Method 200 may be performed by configuration subsystem 170 or some other system.

At block 204, the user may designate the individuals for whom the transfer mode will be configured. Specifying an individual may include specifying a single individual, specifying several individuals, or specifying a group of individuals. As one example, the user interface may prompt the user to select one or more individuals or one or more groups of individuals from a list using a mouse, keyboard, stylus, or the like. As another example, the user may be prompted to enter the individual's name, ID number, registration ID, and the like.

At block 208 , the user may specify the delivery modes available to the individual selected at block 204 . For example, the user interface may prompt the user to select from a list, via one or more form inputs, the various delivery modes available to the selected individual. For example, the user may be prompted to specify whether the individual may receive notifications at a particular workstation via email, PDA, cell phone, pager, or the like. In addition, the user may be prompted to enter necessary information for sending information via various delivery modes, such as network ID, IP address, email account, email address, email protocol, phone number, network ID of proxy server, proxy server IP address, etc.

At block 212, the transfer mode information specified at block 208 is stored. Such information may be stored in memory such as configuration database 124, another database or the like.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an example method 250 for specifying how notifications are delivered. The method 250 will now be described with reference to FIG. 3 . Method 250 may be performed by configuration subsystem 170 or some other system.

At block 254, the user may specify the notifications whose delivery is to be configured. Designating a notification may include designating a specific notification, designating several notifications, or designating a group of notifications. As one example, the user interface may prompt the user to select one or more notifications from a list using a mouse, keyboard, stylus, or the like. The list may include all possible notifications in the processing plant or some subset of all possible notifications in the processing plant. Additionally, the list may include all possible notifications related to a subset of processing entities within a processing plant or a subset of possible notifications related to a subset of processing entities. For example, a user may be allowed to select a subset of process entities (e.g., process control software modules, field devices, process entities from a specific area of the process plant, etc.) and/or a subset of notifications (e.g., alarms, notifications, etc.).

Additionally, the user interface may allow a user to select one or more sets of notifications from a list via a mouse, keyboard, stylus, or the like. For example, a user can select all or some subset of notifications related to a processing entity or a subset of processing entities of a processing plant.

At block 258, the user may specify the individuals to whom the notification specified at block 254 is to be sent. For example, the user interface may provide a list of individuals, and the user may be prompted to select one or more individuals from the list. The list may additionally or alternatively include groups of individuals. As another example, the user interface may prompt the user to enter the individual's name, ID number, registration ID, and the like.

At block 262 , the user may specify a mode for delivering the notification specified at block 254 to the individual specified at block 258 . As one example, a user may specify a delivery mode for each individual specified at block 258 .

If information has been obtained and stored (eg, using a method such as method 200 of FIG. 4 ) relating to the different delivery modes available to the individual, then this information may be referenced. For example, the user interface may present the user with different delivery modes and prompt the user to select one or more of these delivery modes. If information related to the different delivery modes available to the individual is not obtained and stored, a method, such as method 200 of FIG. 4, may be invoked to obtain and store the information. Alternatively, the user interface may simply prompt the user to enter information related to the desired mode for delivering the notification specified at block 254 (eg, account ID, email address, email protocol, proxy server ID, phone number, etc.).

At block 266, an indication of the individual selected at block 258 may be stored. Likewise, at block 270, an indication of the transfer mode selected at block 266 may be stored. For example, this information may be stored in configuration database 124 so that it is associated with the notification specified at block 254 . For example, upon receipt of a notification, delivery subsystem 178 should be able to retrieve delivery mode information from configuration database 124 associated with the received notification.

Monitoring and Delivery Notifications

Referring again to FIG. 3 , monitoring subsystem 174 receives notifications from one or more data servers and/or databases, as described above. Monitoring subsystem 174 may request notifications from a data server, receive notifications from a data server without prompting, and/or search or query a database for notifications. If monitoring subsystem 174 requests notification, or searches or queries a database for notification, monitoring subsystem 174 may do so periodically or based on some triggering event. For example, the data server may indicate to the monitoring subsystem 174 that the data server has received multiple notifications. Upon receipt of one or more notifications, the monitoring subsystem may provide the notifications to the delivery subsystem 178 .

Delivery subsystem 178 typically delivers notifications based on configuration information in configuration database 124, as described above. For example, upon receipt of a notification, delivery subsystem 178 may search and query configuration database 124 for information related to how the notification was delivered. Delivery subsystem 178 may retrieve delivery mode information from configuration database 124 in different ways depending on how the information is organized.

For example, delivery subsystem 178 may retrieve information indicating the individuals who should receive the notification, as well as information related to the particular delivery mode to be used. Alternatively, delivery subsystem 178 may retrieve information indicating the particular delivery mode that is to be used to deliver the notification, rather than directly indicating the individuals who should receive the notification. For example, the retrieved information may indicate the IP address of the device to which the notification should be sent, a pager number, etc., rather than otherwise indicating the individual who should receive the notification.

Based on the information retrieved from the configuration database 124, the delivery subsystem 178 determines the delivery mode for sending the notification. Delivery subsystem 178 then delivers the notification according to the determined delivery mode. Referring now to FIG. 2 , for example, if the delivery subsystem 178 determines that the notification should be delivered to a particular workstation 136 within the process plant, the delivery subsystem 178 can send that notification to the workstation 136 via the network 108 . As another example, if delivery subsystem 178 determines that the notification should be delivered to a wireless device within the processing plant, then delivery subsystem 178 may deliver that notification to WAP 128 via network 108 . WAP 128 may then wirelessly transmit the notification to the wireless device. As yet another example, if delivery subsystem 178 determines that the notification should be delivered to a pager, then delivery subsystem 178 may send that notification to a paging service server via Internet gateway 132 and the Internet.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an example method 300 that may be used to communicate notifications. The method 300 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 . Method 300 may be performed by delivery subsystem 174 or some other system.

At block 304, a notification is received. For example, delivery subsystem 178 may receive notifications from monitoring subsystem 174, a data server, or the like.

At block 308, at least one destination to send the notification is determined. For example, delivery subsystem 178 may search or query configuration database 124 for information indicating at least one destination to which notifications are sent. For example, such information may include the individual's name, account name, account ID, network ID, IP address, email address, cell phone number, pager number, and the like.

At block 312, a delivery method for sending the notification to the destination is determined. For example, delivery subsystem 178 may search or query configuration database 124 for information indicating the delivery method used to send the notification to the destination. This search or query may be the same as the search/query described at block 308, or may be a separate search/query. Information indicating the delivery method used to send to a destination may include an indication of whether the destination is an individual, an account, a network ID, an IP address, an email address, a cell phone number, a pager number, and the like. This information may also include data that may allow delivery subsystem 178 to properly format notifications for a particular delivery method (eg, network protocol, email protocol, proxy server, paging service server, etc.).

At block 316, the notification is sent to the destination according to the appropriate delivery method. For example, delivery subsystem 178 may format the notification appropriately and then send the notification via network 108 to its destination.

The methods of FIGS. 4-6 may be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, etc., and may be executed by any processor associated with process control system 10 . Thus, the methods of FIGS. 4 to 6 can be executed in a standard general-purpose CPU or on specially designed hardware or firmware such as an ASIC or other hardware devices as desired. When implemented in software, the software routines may be stored on any computer-readable memory such as a magnetic disk, laser disk (e.g. DVD) or other storage medium, may be stored in the RAM or ROM of a computer or processor, may store in any database etc. Likewise, such software may be delivered to the user or to the processing plant via any known or desired delivery method, including, for example, via a computer-readable disk or other portable computer storage mechanism or via a communication channel such as a telephone line, the Internet, etc. (which may be viewed as are the same as or interchangeable with providing the software via portable storage media).

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative interpretations, certain exemplary embodiments thereof are shown and described in detail herein in the drawings. It should be understood, however, that the disclosure is not limited to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary covers all modifications, alternative interpretations and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

Claims (22)

1, a kind of method that is used to dispose about the transmission of the notice of processing factory, this method comprises:

Select the individuality of at least one reception from the notice of the processing entity in the processing factory;

Selection is used for sending this notice to described at least one individual transfer approach; With

Selected individuality and selected transfer approach are stored in the storer.

2, the method for claim 1 further comprises:

The select time section, if described notice is received, described at least one individuality will be in this time period reception notification;

The times selected section is stored in the described storer.

3, method as claimed in claim 2, at least one individuality of wherein said selection comprise selects first individual and selection second individuality;

Wherein said select time section comprises:

Select very first time section, if described notice is received, described first individuality will receive this notice in this very first time section;

Selected for second time period, if described notice is received, described second individuality will receive this notice in this second time period; With

Wherein said storage times selected section comprises selected very first time section and selected second time period is stored in the described storer.

4, the method for claim 1, at least one notification received individuality of wherein said selection comprise selects one group of individuality.

5, the method for claim 1 further comprises and selects described notice.

6, the method for claim 1, wherein said selection notice comprises selects one group of notice.

7, method as claimed in claim 6, at least one notification received individuality of wherein said selection comprise at least one individuality of this group notice of selective reception.

8, method as claimed in claim 6, wherein this group notice comprise with described processing factory in one group of notice that processing entity is relevant.

9, method as claimed in claim 6, wherein this group notice comprises the notice of at least a notification type.

10, method as claimed in claim 6, wherein this group notice comprises the notice with the priorities associated in priority limit.

11, method as claimed in claim 6, wherein this group notice comprises the notice with the relevant health indicator in health indicator value scope.

12, the method for claim 1, wherein said notice comprise process alarm, equipment alarm, device alarm, the notice relevant with slewing and with generating and the relevant notice of controller switching equipment at least a.

13, the method for claim 1, wherein said storer comprises database.

14, a kind of tangible media storage machine readable instructions comprises:

First code is used to select the individuality of at least one reception from the notice of processing entity in the processing factory;

Second code is used to select send this notice to described at least one individual transfer approach; With

Third generation sign indicating number is used for selected individuality and selected transfer approach are stored in storer.

15, a kind of method that is used to transmit the notice relevant with processing factory, this method comprises:

Receive and the relevant notice of processing entity in the processing factory;

Determine at least one destination, described notice is sent to described destination based on the configuration information relevant with described notice;

Be identified for described notice being sent to the transfer approach of described destination based on described configuration information; With

According to described transfer approach described notice is sent to described destination.

16, method as claimed in claim 15, wherein said at least one destination comprise a kind of in individuality, the network address, network identifier ID, procotol IP address, account, e-mail address, cell phone number and the pager number.

17, method as claimed in claim 15, wherein determined transfer approach is according to network communication protocol.

18, method as claimed in claim 15, wherein determined transfer approach is according to email protocol.

19, method as claimed in claim 15, wherein determined transfer approach comprises the use WLAN (wireless local area network).

20, method as claimed in claim 15, wherein determined transfer approach comprises the use cellular network.

21, method as claimed in claim 15, wherein determined transfer approach comprises the use paging network.

22, a kind of tangible media storage machine readable instructions comprises:

First code is used to receive and the relevant notice of processing entity in the processing factory;

Second code is used for determining at least one destination, based on the configuration information relevant with described notice described notice is sent to described destination;

Third generation sign indicating number is used to be identified for based on described configuration information described notice being sent to the transfer approach of described destination; With

The 4th code is used for according to described transfer approach described notice being sent to described destination.

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